On Oct 10th I had my second cataract
operation, this one on the left eye, and it seems to have gone equally well
as the first. For distance viewing, I'm now 20/20 in the right eye and 20/25
in the left eye. For reading or computer use, I'm able to use a pair of
reading glasses from the drug store rack.

Since cataract troubles are common
among seniors, I decided to post some quotes that came in the information
package that preceded surgery.
"A cataract is the name given to the condition when the lens of the eye
becomes clouded, causing vision in that eye to become blurred. Patients
describe the vision as 'looking through dirty glass' or 'looking through a
fog'. It is a fairly common condition in patients in their senior years,
and although the exact cause of cataracts is not known, an aging process
of the lens, exposure to ultraviolet light, familial factors as well as
some drugs like Cortisone can play a role. Once a cataract has developed,
the only treatment known to improve vision in that eye is to surgically
remove the clouded lens. With modern surgical techniques, the lens can be
then be replaced with a specially designed artificial lens which is
implanted in the eye."
"Most modern surgeons now prefer to remove the cataract with a specialized
technique known as phacoemulsification. A very small incision is made into
the eye and the cataract is removed using ultrasonic power from a special
probe. (This is not laser like many people wrongly refer to.) A foldable
lens implant called an intraocular lens is then implanted through the same
incision. The incision is small enough not to require suturing, although
your own surgeon may sometimes elect to place a suture as a measure of
extra safety. In most cases, the surgury is done under local anesthetic
and the patient can enter and leave the hospital on the same day. The eye
will be patched for the first 24 hours. It is expected from the patient
not to do any strenuous activities, bending far forward or rubbing the eye
during the first week of recovery." To the above, I would add that the
surgeon referred to vacuuming up the debris after the phacoemulsification.
It also seems to have vacuumed up the floaters that I had, but I expect
they'll be back. I should also add that my eyes are now more sensitive to
bright lights and I'm in greater danger of AMD since I have lost the UV
protection afforded by the cataracts. Eleanor and I make good use of our
"Solar Block" sunglasses that wrap around to avoid the sun. When our son
sees us coming on a sunny day, he refers to us as "The Two Blind Mice".

WIH: 16 Aug 12

On Monday morning of this week I
had surgery to remove a cataract from my right eye. (The left eye should
follow in 6 to 8 weeks.) It's a bit early to draw conclusions but things
seem to have gone very well. My experience is a stark contrast to Eleanor's
experience of two years ago and is perhaps instructive. I came home with a
shallow cup taped over the eye but it was removed the following morning by
the ophthalmologist. He examined the eye and and gave it a green light. The
soft plastic lens that had been inserted is prescriptive and corrects my
distance vision so that I can drive without prescription glasses. The
downside is that I frequently wander around without realizing that I'm not
wearing my glasses and then I can't find them when I want to read. And last
evening I poured our green tea and asked "What's this?" Eleanor replied
"It's green tea of course". I said "but it's not the green we've been
drinking." Eleanor replied "Bill, your vision has changed." Sure enough,
when I closed my good eye, the green tea resumed its former taupe colour.

My operation was carried out by
a local ophthalmologist at the local hospital in Comox in their dedicated
Cataract Operating Room. (There are a lot of seniors in the Comox Valley.) I
was stretched out on a gurney with a pillow under my knees, a warmed blanket
over my aged body and a plastic sheet over my head with an oxygen supply on
the inside. All costs were covered by Medicare. Eleanor's operation was
carried out by a Victoria ophthalmologist in his clinic where she simply sat
in a chair. We paid $1400.

According to the written
information I received, my operation was carried out with the latest
technique in which the old lens is shattered with ultrasound and the debris
vacuumed up. Eleanor's experience was that the surgeon had difficulty in
removing the cataract and "was digging around". As a result, nerves were cut
that trigger the tear ducts and she ended up with a dry eye.

In both cases we had each
received a thorough examination of our eyes before the operations. In my
case the eyes were said to be healthy; in Eleanor's case there was dry AMD
in the eye that was to be treated. Eleanor's Victoria ophthalmologist agreed
with the diagnosis but said that was not a problem. He also urged her to
have both eyes done but she refused. (We have since learned that no
reputable ophthalmologist would make such such a recommendation.) Not long
after the operation, the dry AMD progressed to wet AMD, an experience
covered in another thread on this site.

I've avoided drawing conclusions
here, or attempting to assign cause and effect, but I think it describes
warning signs to watch for and questions that should asked.